Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-16

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below shows the number of households in the US by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

the bar chart illustrates the amount of families residing in the US by their yearly wage in 2007, 2011 and 2015 in millions.

Overall, it can be clearly seen that by the year 2015 overall all the households experienced a surge, the number of houses with highest income incresaed greatly by 2015 and the lowest hike was achieved by upper middle class families. However, middle class remained plataued over the time period.

Looking into the details, households with income less than 25 thousand was 25 million in 2007 which rose to around 35 million in 2011 before falling back to approximately 25 million in 2015. Families with annual income between 25 thousand pounds to 50 thousand pounds accounted just above 25 million in 2007 and reached a peak of all times in 2011 before dropping to around 28 million in 2015.

However, the number of families with an average income reained the same from 2007 to 2015, houses with an annual income of 75 thousand pouds to 99 thousand pounds started just below 15 million and drpeed to around 13 million in 2011 before its resurgance in 2015. Households with the highest annual wages started with aound 30 million then dropped to aound 25 million in 2011 and culminates at approximately 35 million in 2015 the highest of all times

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the chart’s subject and provide an overview, noting the rise in the highest-income group and the stability of the middle-income group. You also cover all five income bands, which gives the report relevant breadth. However, several figures and trends are inaccurate: the under-$25,000 group rose to about 28.5 million in 2011, not 35 million, and ended near 28 million rather than 25 million. The $75,000–$99,999 group rose slightly to about 15 million in 2015, rather than showing a substantial recovery from 13 million. The overview also says all households experienced a surge, although the $50,000–$74,999 group remained stable and the $75,000–$99,999 group changed little. More precise reporting and a clearer overview of the contrasting trends would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two detail paragraphs. Grouping several income categories together helps the reader follow the chart, and transitions such as “Overall” and “Looking into the details” signal the stages of the report. However, some links are mechanical or unclear. Repeated use of “However” does not always express a genuine contrast, and the final paragraph combines three categories in a long sequence, making comparisons harder to track. The overview’s claim that all households surged also conflicts with the later statement that the middle-income group remained stable. Organise the details into clearer comparisons—for example, groups that rose, fell, or stayed broadly unchanged—and use linking phrases that accurately show those relationships.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of chart-related vocabulary, including “accounted,” “peak,” “remained,” and “approximately,” and the income categories are generally identifiable. However, some choices are imprecise or unsuitable for this data: “families” and “houses” are used where “households” is more accurate, while “yearly wage” describes individual earnings rather than household income. Expressions such as “lowest hike was achieved” and “resurgence” sound unnatural in a neutral statistical report. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “incresaed,” “plataued,” “reained,” and “resurgance.” Use straightforward, precise terms such as “number of households,” “income band,” “rose,” and “remained stable,” and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “which” and time comparisons, and the overall meaning is usually understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with subject–verb agreement and sentence construction. For example, “households with income less than 25 thousand was” should use a plural verb, and “reached a peak of all times” needs a more accurate grammatical construction. The final sentence shifts from “started” and “dropped” to “culminates,” creating inconsistent tense, and it lacks a clear full stop. Articles and plural forms are also sometimes missing or inconsistent. Keep the past tense consistent when describing the years shown, check that verbs agree with their subjects, and divide long sentences where several comparisons are being reported.

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